


The Longest Night

by M2M



Category: Guess The Fandom, Mystery Fandom - Fandom, Unrevealed Fandom
Genre: Guess the Fandom - Freeform, Horror, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-05-02 22:46:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14555172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M2M/pseuds/M2M
Summary: On the first day of Winter, Garnet goes about her day like she normally would, that is until night fall when her life is changed forever





	1. The Shortest Day

**Author's Note:**

> Greeting all  
> This story is set in the world of a particular fandom, however because of the way this story is written it isn’t obvious as to which one it belongs to, As such.  
> I want to play a game  
> The game, try to guess the fandom  
> there are 4 chapters in this story and there are hints about the world this story takes place in sprinkled though out with the last chapter practically giving it away  
> so, without further a due let the game begin, And happy reading

The snow started to fall over the small village of Nilla, the sounds of the early morning birds had already left for a warmer climate and in its place an eerie silence had come every morning since. As the morning sun started to peak from behind the nearby mountains, the silence was broken by the clanging of steel against wood as the men left their homes and headed out to gather fire wood for the long winter ahead.

Waking from her deep slumber Garnet grumbled. She wanted to stay within the warmth of her bed, wrapped up in the quilt that her mother had sewn by hand for her 5th birthday, although she was now 10 as of Fall this year, the quilt had lasted quite well given everything that Garnet had done with it: from throwing up on it during her times of illness to the countless amount of times that it was unceremoniously kicked off the bed during the hot summer nights. The once vibrant yellows and purples that made up the quilt had all but faded to a dull daffodil yellow and a pale lavender.

Although she knew she would have to get up eventually, Garnet resisted as much as she could by pulling up the quilt over her head and trying to block out the light that crept into her room from the slightly open curtains. For a moment, she felt she had won the fight to get up and in her brief victory she let out a soft sigh. It was after that moment, that she heard her mother’s voice calling from down stairs

“Garnet it’s time to get up, I made pancakes” her mother called.

“Pancakes” she mumbled to herself.

‘How is it that Ma always knows just what to say to get me to do things’ she thought shrugging her shoulders ‘oh well’  

“Be right there” she yelled back, kicking the quilt to the side, she rolled out of bed and onto the floor with a soft thud, before she swiftly got dressed in her weekend clothes, a pair of dark brown pants, along with a purple t-shirt with a yellow pattern on the upper left shoulder A decorative imprint of Garnet’s family crest: a horse shoe with a spear running through it. Garnet’s Great Grandfather had been a blacksmith before the Great War and had been a part of the cavalry unit. Her family wore the crest in honour of all he had sacrificed. The colours, however were Garnet’s favourite. It also helped that her mother the most skilled (and only) tailor in town and made all of Garnet’s clothes to match whatever she wanted.

Due to the cold winter, Garnet left her room fully dressed in attire that was perfect for hiding away in the house all day. She went to leave her room but paused before heading down the stairs. Garnet stopped in front of the mirror and scrunched her nose up in frustration, hair was all over the place. She quickly remedied this with a couple of quick flicks of her head and running her hands though her hair, quickly getting her shoulder length black wavy hair styled just how she liked it.

Pointing her index fingers at the mirror Garnet celebrated her upcoming meal.

“Yeah, time for pancakes,”

After her brief but jubilant words, she spun around on her heels and headed down the stairs, humming cheerfully to herself. As she reached the foot of the stairs, the glorious smell of her the freshly cooked pancakes wafted into the air. The aroma almost called for her. As Garnet turned the corner she could see her mother leaving the kitchen holding a plate full of pancakes. She placed them carefully on the dining room table, right in front of Garnet’s usual seat. Shinning cutlery was already waiting for her.

Looking up from picturesque table placing that now housed the fresh pancakes, Garnet looked at her mother’s smiling face, her emerald eyes shone even brighter than usual in the morning light that was coming through the open curtains.  The rays refracted though the vase her mother always kept on the dining room table making the wall behind her shine in various colours.

“Good morning sleepy-head, ready for the day?” her mother asked kindly.

“Yep, ready to spend the first day of winter inside, watching T.V. next to the fire and doing nothing all day,” Garnet grinned broadly as she sat at the table grabbing  her knife and fork.

Garnet’s mother gave a small smile, “Well, unfortunately I have things I need you to do today, but after that you can spend the rest of the day curled up in front of the fire if you like” Making it clear that she had been hoping that the pancakes were enough of a bribe to get her daughter to do some chores today.

Garnet sighed and went to protest but seeing the smile on her mother’s face she couldn’t say no after all she had made her pancakes.

“Ok Ma what do you need me to do?” she asked, secretly hoping that the list of chores her mother wanted her to do wasn’t going to take all day.

“Well the laundry needs to be done and we need some things from the market for dinner” said her Mother cheerfully “I would do them myself however being the only tailor in the village everyone is going to need me to do touch ups on their clothes with the winter snows upon us” she said

“That doesn’t sound too bad, I guess I can do those things” Garnet, said while shovelling another pancake into her mouth.

“Wonderful you are the best daughter a mother could ask for” she said pleased that her bribe of  pancakes worked.

“Now I’m off to the store, the list of items for dinner is in the kitchen along with a bag of money, I have left you with a little bit extra so you can grab lunch while you’re out” she said as she picked up her bag from the floor and headed to the door.

“Ok Ma, I love you have a good day at work,” Garnet said as she gobbled down another pancake

“ I will, I love you too sweetie, be safe” said her mother as she closed the door. With the familiar click of the door, the room fell silent. It wasn’t the first time that Garnet had been left alone, since she had turned 10, her mother had been giving her a bit more responsibility to do things around the house while her farther was out on hunts – which is was most days – and her mother working as the village tailor. Garnet was often left to her own devices as of late, though she liked the quiet and the new found freedom being entrusted to her something felt off about today. Maybe it was the weather or maybe because her plans had been  disrupted by having to do chores, either way she finished her pancakes and took the dishes to the kitchen where she washed them and then took the money and shopping list off the counter before shoving them in her pocket.

Garnet looked over at the large grandfather clock in the living room, seeing the time most of the stores wouldn’t be open yet,

“I think I will watch some TV before I head out”

Concluding this was the best course of action, Garnet proceeded to fall onto the couch next to the fireplace. She positioned herself at such an angle that the fire would keep her warm while able to watch the T.V. unobstructed. Above the fire place was her Great Grandfather’s spear that he had used in the Great War now its place was over the hearth of the fire as a heirloom. Turning the T.V. on Garnet flicked through the channels before reaching her favourite morning cartoon. It was about two colourfully dressed superheroes who somehow always got into more mischief than actual acts of heroism, but it wasn’t meant to be a serious show to begin with as it had always been about being funny. Something which suited Garnet perfectly.

After the show finished Garnet decided she should put the laundry on just before turning off the T.V. an Ad. came on, as she heard the commercial she stuck out her tongue in disgust.

“Urgh, I don’t know how anyone could like that dreadful orange coloured cereal,” and with that she turned off the T.V and went about doing the laundry.

After putting the laundry on Garnet realised that she would have to wait for the machine to  finish before she could leave the house to get the shopping done so she sauntered back over to the couch and turned the tv back on flicking through the channels she came across a show that she heard about from her friends it was about space soldiers fighting each other for unknown reasons, she shrugged her shoulders.,

"Well it's better than that soap opera that Ma watches," and with that she settled back down into the sofa, watching the T.V. until the familiar ding rang out from the laundry, letting her know that it was ready to be put out to dry.

Garnet gave a soft sigh, "Well I guess I should go do something about that."

As she gathered the clothes from the machine she went to go hang them on the line outside only to look out the back door and see snow blanketing everything in sight, icicles were even dangling off the outdoor clothes line.

The sudden cold ran though her and into the house making her shiver "Right  - winter, these might freeze solid out there, but they defiantly won't dry" she giggled as she thought of her Pa trying to pull on his  frozen trousers only to have them shatter into shards of cloth and ice.

"Better hang these up inside" she said, moving toward the

the collapsible clothes-line and hung up the clothes near the warm hearth.

Warming her fingers, which had become slightly chilled by the damp clothes, she crouched next to the fire-place and drew in as much of the warmth that it was willing to give of. As she sat there she looked up at her Great Grandfather's spear that hung over the fire-place. Garnet’s thoughts returned to the T.V. show she had just been watching about some heroes going out and helping people all the while cracking jokes and then she had a sudden thought.

‘I wouldn't mind doing that, helping people and fighting bad guys just like Great Grandfather,’ she paused in her thought, remembering one of the promotional commercials she’d seen earlier that day, ‘Actually I did hear about a school that did just that, train people to fight, eh I bet it's just a small dojo or something like that’

Garnet shrugged to herself as she wasn't paying much attention when the ad did come on the T.V. when it had been advertising the school. Garnet glanced at the clock. The market stalls would be open now.

"Well, I can't put off going outside any longer,” she said apprehensively, “Better to just rip off the band-aid off now" she said to herself as she made her way back up the stairs

Standing in front of her wardrobe looking through the range of clothes on offer. Garnet eventually settled on her yellow scarf embellished with her family's crest in purple at the end; a black, wool-lined leather jacket, the perfect thing to wear in winter; and finally some sturdy lace boots to protect her feet from the cold snow. Now all dressed up and ready to head out into the cold of winter, Garnet grabbed a small brown bag and headed out to the centre of the village to go do her mother’s shopping.

As soon as Garnet got to the outskirts of the village centre she could see a small amount of people going in and out of her mother's tailor shop.

"She was right again, about it being a busy day," Garnet said to herself as she walked up to the produce stand to get the vegetables she needed for tonight's dinner.

Tomato, Sweet Potato, Onions and Celery.

After putting all the vegetables into the brown bag, she headed out to the butcher.

"Why hello Garnet, how are you today?" said the beefy butcher as he cut into a thick slab of meat with his meat cleaver and a cheerful smile on his face.

"I'm good Mr Curtis, just picking up some meat for dinner tonight," Garnet said politely

"No worries miss, do you know what cut you are after?" Curtis asked as he put down the cleaver, before he wiped his hands clean on his apron and approached Garnet at the counter.

"Yep Ma always likes the meat that Pa brings back from his hunts, so do you have any venison left?" Garnet smiled.

“Hhmmm,” Curtis said playing with his beard as he thought, "I think we still have some in the back, let me go check" He noted before he turned and headed out to the back of his shop.

“No worries, I’ll wait here," said Garnet.

As Garnet waited for Curtis to return, she looked out into the village centre through the large display window out the front. Through the hanging, skinned game displayed for passers-by she could see the numerous vendors and people coming and going through neighbouring shops and stall. As the village was only quite small, Garnet pretty much knew everyone in the village. There weren’t many kids her age, mainly older or younger than her and with no school-house everyone was home schooled by their parents. Despite all of this however she did get along well with all the other kids.

"Here we are, the last cut of venison" Curtis said as he threw it down on the cutting board, breaking Garnet out of her thoughts.

"How much you need?" Curtis said with a friendly smile.

Garnet paused and handed Curtis this list.

"Just this much".

“No worries, coming right up," he chuckled as he handed the list back to Garnet.

"Thank you," she said, as she took the list back from him.

 

As she waited, Garnet returned to look out through the window once more. She couldn't help but think of how different the village looked, with the changing of the seasons.

During Summer, was when the village came alive, people were everywhere during the summer festivals and happy noises – natural and man – were everywhere; in the Fall the leaves complimented the natural colours and grain of the wooden stalls and log houses that housed so many of the townspeople; in Winter there wasn’t as many people outside due to the frost, but the clean white of the snow made everything glisten like diamonds; and in Spring the village centre was covered in bright flowers of almost every colour anyone could think of.

"Here you go kid," Curtis said, snapping Garnet back to reality she spun around on her heels and grabbed the meat that had been wrapped up for her. Garnet handed over the money for the meat and smiled.

“Thank you Mr Curtis, have a good day" she said as she left the butchers. As the bells tinkled behind her, Garnet suddenly felt hungry and looked for a shop to get something to eat. As she thought and her stomach growled she remembered that there was a nice bakery right next to her mother's tailor store. Thinking it might be a nice idea to get lunch from there and then eat it with her mother like they used to do only months ago she strolled over to the store. As Garnet approached, her heart skipped a beat. She could see a young man by the name Slate was working at the counter through the bakery window. He’d only recently turned 12, however recently whenever Garnet saw him and his bright blue eyes - she always seems to forget what she was doing.

Today was no exception.

Garnet stood frozen in the snow for a brief moment, but then she realised that she would have to talk to him as he is helping his parents with their bakery, taking a deep but quick breath Garnet approached the bakery

"H-hi Slate” stammered Garnet, although she was not sure why, “H-how's it going?"

“Oh, hi Garnet, what are you up to?” said Slate, briefly looking up from wrapping up some baked goods for delivery.

“I-I was just thinking about getting s-some lunch do you happen to have any cinnamon r-rolls left?” continued Garnet stumbling over her own tongue. She hoped they had some as the rolls where quickly became her favourite food

“We sure do” said Slate in a rehearsed cheerfulness, “Here I will get you a bag, how many are you after?”

“Just t-two please”

“No worries” grinned Slate and put two cinnamon rolls into the bag, “Here you go” he added as he handed the bag over to Garnet who took the bag a little too quickly before giving Slate the agreed upon fee.

“T-thank you, have a good day,” said Garnet, she felt her face getting hot – no doubt it was now red from not just the cold outside but because her fingers had brushed Slate’s hand as she had handed him the money.

“Any time Garnet” smiled Slate, “Oh, I gave you something extra” he added with a cheeky grin, “It’s at the bottom of the bag.”

This time Garnet was sure her face was shining like a ripe tomato.

“T-thanks - uh - I have to go now, bye” she said her face still burning as she exited the bakers. As soon as the door clicked behind her, she ran to the door of her mother’s tailor shop.

Just before she opened the door, she leaned against the oak wood door and breathed deeply, shaking her head slightly as she tried to reduce the blush in her cheeks.  Once her heart had stopped beating so rapidly, and the hotness had faded she pushed open the door to find her mother sitting behind a large wooden table. Different types of leathers, cloth and pieces of string were scattered over the surface. Her mother had a stern, focused look plastered on her face. She always got this way when she was hard at work.

“Hi Ma, how’s work?” Garnet asked as she put the full bag of shopping on the floor next to the table, only holding the bag containing the cinnamon rolls.

“Oh, hello sweetie” said her mother as she looked up with a smile, “I see you have done the shopping like I asked”

“Yep” grinned Garnet, pleased with herself. “…and I got us lunch too, I thought we could eat it together like we used to,” she said holding the bag out in front of her.

“Oh, that’s very sweet of you dear, what are we having?” she asked – although judging by her smile, her mother already knew what was in the paper bag before Garnet even opened her mouth.

“Cinnamon Rolls” said Garnet, making some room on the table “One for each of us”

Her mother gave a light smile, “Thank you, sweetie I could use a break”

The mother-daughter pair pulled up a nearby stool for each of them to sit at the table. Garnet’s mother pulled out the two cinnamon rolls from the bag and handing one to her daughter. Her mother paused however as she noticed the ‘something extra’ that Slate had put in the bottom of the bag. She pulled out two chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven. Garnet felt her face growing hot again. She’d briefly forgotten about the extra goodies – she secretly wished she’d retrieved their lunch and not her mother.

“Did the baker’s boy – Slate - put something in the bag just for you?” asked her mother, her smile looking uncharacteristically impish.

“No... i-it must have been a special promotion o-or a mistake” Garnets eyes darted around the room looking for something else to talk about to divert the conversation, “Or something…” she added with a mumble.

“You know – I used to wear that same look whenever your Pa did something for me when we were your age” Her mother sighed in fond memory, “I always denied it too,” she paused, “I think we need some hot coca to go with these” she grinned before getting up to get her blushing daughter and herself a warm drink.

Desperately wanting to change the subject, Garnet spoke quickly.

“Ma, do you know when Pa is coming home?”

“Pa said he would be gone for about three days” noted her mother, as she placed the steaming mugs on the table, “So he should be back tomorrow morning if all goes well”

Garnet took a sip of the warm beverage, it was sweet to taste and warmed her chilled finger tips to the touch.

“Easy there little one no need to rush” said her mother, sitting down as Garnet took a unladylike gulp, “You’ll burn your mouth”

“Sorry,” Garnet said as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“It’s alright my dear, now why don’t you take the shopping back home now - your Ma needs to get back to work,” said her mother as her big smile retreated slightly at the thought of her daughter leaving.

“Ok Ma, I will let you get back to work” said Garnet, she was happy that she got to spend lunch with her mother again like they used to.

Getting up from the table and collecting the shopping back from the floor Garnet headed for the door.

Garnet turned and faced her mother “Love you Ma, I will see you when you get home” and then she waved her goodbyes to her mother and then reached for the door handle.

“I love you too sweetie, now hurry home it is dreadfully cold out today” she said in a concerned voice, she had noticed that her daughter didn’t wear any winter gloves and probably hadn’t put on any warm underclothes either – judging by her frost-kissed nose. As the door closed behind her young daughter, Garnet’s mother found herself thinking wistfully.

‘They grow up so fast.’

Garnet took her mother’s sound advice as it seemed the winter weather had somehow gotten colder during their lunch break. She trudged through the snow at a faster pace to both keep warm and so that she could get home quicker. As her front door came into sight she quickened her pace to almost a run, before she gripped the cold doorknob with her bare hand, she jerked back slightly as the cold metal bit her hand and Garnet swore under her breath.

“I knew I forgot something - gloves duh”

Stretching her jacket sleeve up to her palm, she turned the handle and hurried inside, closing the door quickly to prevent the friendly warmth from escaping.

After she put the groceries away in the fridge for dinner later that night, Garnet hurried over to the fireplace, sitting on her knees at the hearth she warmed her fingers as close to the glowing flames as she would dare.

The stiffness in her fingers started to thaw as she rubbed them together – feeling returned and the existing warmth in the room brought the rest of her body back to a more comfortable temperature. Garnet stood up to try and melt any remaining frost that clung to her body and inspected the nearby clothes from that morning. She ran her hands over them, just as toasty warm as her fingers now were.

“Hmmm, warm and dry, might as well put them away now,” she shrugged as she started to take the clothes down and carried them in a heaped bundle up the stairs. Garnet threw them onto her bed and begun to sort out them out by a method her mother had shown her as a younger girl. Whose, where and whom. Once the clothes were in three neat piles she put her own away in the wardrobe or in the chest of draws before she took the remaining two piles and put them on her parent’s bed for them to sort out when they got home.

Looking around the empty house Garnet couldn’t help but think it would still be about 3 hours or so before her mother came home from work and that there was nothing to do.

Garnet’s mother usually kept the house quite spic and span – with little difficulty, so Garnet didn’t have many chores (apart from those she’d already done), to actually do.

‘I could watch more T.V…’ she mused to herself, ‘Nah, at this time of day there isn’t anything on but silly old soap operas and sports’

Garnet looked out the living room, searching for some inspiration.

‘I would get dinner ready but it’s still too early and I might need Ma’s help’ She glanced at the couch, warm and inviting, ‘Oh well, might as well sit on the couch and veg out next to the fire for a bit’

Garnet said as she wandered over to the couch and flopped down her favourite spot as she turned the T.V on. She flicked though the channels before she came across a music station and decided to leave it on. As she lay there, a slow melodic song came on filling the house with its tune. Garnet felt her eyes getting heavy.

A scratching noise against the front door jerked Garnet from her slumber. She shot up and rushed to the door peering through the peep-hole. She saw her mother standing there fishing for her keys. Garnet quickly opened the door.

“Oh, thank you sweetie” she said as she stopped looking for her keys

Garnet smiled as she spoke “Ma your home” she looked at the darkened sky, “Wow I must have really been out of it”

“Out of it?” asked her mother in brief confusion, “Where you by chance asleep sweetie?”

“Yeah, the living room was so cosy…” Garnet said as she helped her mother inside the house

Her mother gave a knowing smile, “Well, I will be getting dinner stated soon - so go wash up”

Garnet shook her head – feeling the cold wind outside before she shut the door, “Let me get dinner setup Ma, you can go sit next to the fire for a bit to warm up”

Garnet’s mother stared at her daughter, her face shone lightly with pride “Ok sweetie” she relented, “I will, let me know if you need any help getting dinner ready”

“Don’t worry Ma I’ve got this” grinned Garnet, as she pointed her thumb towards herself, as she turned and headed into the kitchen she could hear her mother sitting on the couch and let out a soft sigh.

Once in the kitchen Garnet looked around and thought hard.

‘Ok you have seen Ma do this a hundred times’ she thought, ‘Time to show her that you have been paying attention.’

Garnet walked over to the fridge and grabbed the fresh vegetables and venison.

She placed them on the counter and then prepped a pot on the stove top with a small bit of water to bring to the boil. As the water started to hiss and bubble, Garnet cut up the vegetables into small pieces and even managed to cut the larger chunk of meat into smaller bite size pieces. Once the water was boiling and everything cut up, Garnet called out to her mother.

“Ma everything is set up”

Garnet’s mother walked into the kitchen, her coat now removed she looked far more comfortable and toasty. Her mother looked at the pre-cooking preparations and smiled warmly.

“Well done sweetie, when did you get so good at food prep?” her mother joked.  
“I’ve been paying attention to the best cook in the village” grinned Garnet proudly, bouncing on the balls of her feet, “I was bound to pick something up”

Her mother quickly took all the vegetables and the venison chunks and begun to show Garnet what to do next.

In no time at all, the meat was a tender brown and a rich aroma now filled the kitchen. Garnet’s mother served out two portions of the stew into separate bowls before putting aside the leftovers for when Garnet’s Pa returned from his hunting trip.

Garnet picked out the cutlery and began to set the table for her and her mother, before she sat down and waited patiently for her mother to come over with the delectable dinner that they had cooked together.

END CHAPTER 1


	2. Fire in the Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnets world is forever changed tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter to the guess the fandom story, sorry it took so long and sorry for this chapter being so long aswell

After Garnet’s mother had placed the bowls of dinner on the table, she took her seat adjacent from her daughter.  
“Thank you, sweetie, for doing everything you’ve done today” she smiled, “It really helped” Garnet gave a nod in response before she started to shovel her dinner into her mouth. Garnet’s mother gave a knowing chuckle and started to eat as well – albeit more elegantly. She had only taken two mouthfuls into dinner (Garnet considerably more) when a large explosion rocked the house.  
It came from somewhere outside.  
Garnet’s mother hastily put down her spork and hurried to the nearby window. Leaning against the window frame she peered through the curtains with a manner of stealth that Garnet didn’t understand. But as a whitening fear washed over her mother’s face, Garnet knew something was wrong.

"Ma, what's wrong?” queried Garnet, “What was that noise?"  
At first her mother didn’t answer, she merely closed the curtains slowly as if trying to limit movement. Once the curtains lay still her mother hurried over to Garnet and embraced her tightly. Garnet’s mother held her at arm’s length and cupped her daughter’s cheek.  
“You have to go hide in your room now, ok?” she said, her voice waving slightly as she spoke, “… and no matter what you hear, you stay hidden in your room” her voice crackled slightly, “Stay upstairs and just stay hidden, don’t make a sound.”

"But Ma what's going on, why do I need to hid-" Garnet’s question cut off at the sound of loud scratching the front door. Her mother grabbed her and held her daughter a moment, her whole form shaking.  
There was a moment of deafening silence and then – CRACK!  
It was almost as if a huge mass had thrown itself against the door.  
The door stood firm, but it wouldn’t for long.  
CRACK!  
The second time, Garnet saw a few stray splinters fly off the door, cracks started forming in the wood work. A deep guttural growling sound came through, as whatever it was tried to get through.  
Garnet’s mother kissed her on her forehead, before letting her daughter go.  
“Go – hide now and don’t come out until I get you,” She said, almost breathlessly.  
As the thing outside thrashed against the door again, Garnet didn’t argue or question as she normally would and bolted for the stairs.  
Her cosy bed, her friendly blanket – places of safety were calling to her as her heart beat thumped uncomfortably against her chest.  
At the foot of the stairs, she paused briefly and looked at her mother.  
Something was wrong with time, it was if it was briefly frozen. Garnet briefly wondered why as she looked at her mother.  
“I love you Ma,” said Garnet.  
As her mother briefly looked at her, a fourth slam against the door was all it could take.

 

The oak door splintered into thousands of pieces, raining down onto the living room floor as the primal growls got louder and louder. Garnet felt her insides freeze in place as it echoed through the once welcoming home. A loud howl from outside jolted her back into mobility and Garnet bolted up the stairs two at a time and reach her bedroom.  
As she closed the door she could hear mother’s voice downstairs.  
"Over here you foul beast, come and get me” she yelled  
Garnet had never heard her mother speak this way before, a different side to her normally soft-spoken mother that she’d never witnessed. In her terror, she made a note to ask her about it later.  
Her bedroom door now closed, Garnet ran for her bed, grabbing her quilt as she dove under the bedframe. She wrapped herself up in the soft and warm cloth, acting like it was a protective shield and didn't move once under the bed.

Garnet laid in frozen silence in the small space under her bed. She strained her ears trying to hear what was occurring downstairs. Outside she could hear the commotion from the village. Screams of terror unlike she’d ever heard before, even on her morning cartoons and guttural unfamiliar growls. But she blocked these out as she tried to focus on the sounds below her.

The noise downstairs was slightly muffled but were terrifying enough to cause Garnet’s imagination to run wild. She hard the shatter of glass which could have been a window, the living room cabinet or even the T.V. Every few seconds there seemed to be a loud bang or thud. She heard her mother cry out several times – sometimes in rage and others in what sounded like pain.  
The thing downstairs growled and occasionally yelped in a strange contrast with her mother’s own battle cries.  
Then quite suddenly a blood curdling scream echoed through the building.  
Garnet’s imagination went dead, she tried to picture what could have made that horrible sound but her mind wouldn’t let her.  
Her heart then stopped as she heard the scrapping of claws on the stairwell down the hall. Fear engulfed her and she remained as still as possible, not making a peep.  
Whatever it was stopped at her door, unlike the front door, the one for her bedroom came down much easier only requiring a single swipe as it cracked and splintered.  
Garnet tried to stay still, but a sudden padded thud near her head caused her to turn with a jump. Near the foot of her bed and mere inches away from her head was a large black paw, as she peered out she saw that it was one of a set of four. They reminded her of those that belonged to wolves.  
But they seemed different, wrong. The front two seemed bigger then the hind legs, forcing the creature to be hunched over at the front. Each of the massive paws had long white claws that tore and scratched at the floor as if the wood and carpet alike was nothing but sand.

Garnet tried to stay as still as possible, something she found easy as the moment the creature had walked into the room she had become quite frozen.  
A sickening lump caught in her throat as Garnet saw a black snout and mouth full of razor sharp teeth that appeared even sharper than the claws at the foot of the bed.  
‘What was it doing?’  
Sniff, Sniff.  
Garnet’s insides froze as she heard the beast take a few deliberate inhales from its nose.  
It knew she was here and it was looking for her.  
The beast sniffed again and the beast then let out a loud howl that shook the whole house. It was so loud that Garnet’s hands almost flung up on instinct to cover her ears as the beast’s horrible cry came from within her room. She could hear glass shattering as the noise reverberated through her home.  
But she kept her resolve and stayed strong. Repeating her mother’s words like a mantra.  
Stay still, stay quiet, stay still  
The beast halted in its cry, in the silence Garnet thought for a brief moment that it had given up. It was over.  
Then the bed creaked above her and started to sag with the weight of the beast above her.  
It was now on top of the bed.  
The fabric and wool of the bed above her started to tear as she could hear the beast clawing, digging at the bed trying to get her. Frozen in fear she laid motionless. Every fibre of her being screamed for her to run. But wrapped in her quilt it would be quite impossible for her to make a speedy escape.  
Stay still, stay quiet, stay still  
The beast’s claw suddenly pierced through the mattress and were now inches from her face. Garnet dared not even blink as she feared her lashes would touch the claws.  
The claws started to scrap the last pieces of the bed away from the nearly ruined bed frame – soon it would see her and it would be all over.  
BOOM!  
A thunderous noise came from the village, the beast paused now distracted, its attention now directed elsewhere. In one fluid motion the claw pulled back and the beast ran for the door, scratching everything in its path as it fled out of the house.

Garnet lay there for what seemed like hours. Hot tears sliding down her cheeks and her lip quivered slightly and she allowed herself to let out small whimper. She then let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding during the whole ordeal. A faint stream of mist lifted up into the rapidly chilling air and then disappeared.  
The sickening knot still lodged in her throat was now joined by a sinking feeling in her stomach as she laid on the floor underneath the tattered remains of her bed.

Ma told me to hide, thought Garnet, But I can't hear anything now, not even outside  
She remembered the scream and her mother’s cries of pain from earlier.  
Ma might be hurt, she realised, I have to go help.  
Garnet tried to move, but her arms and legs didn’t want to co-operate.  
Come on you can do this, she thought, just move slowly, no sudden movements, deep breaths  
Tears still in her eyes, Garnet slowly managed to crawl out from under what was left of her bed and looked around at what had once been her room. Claw marks were everywhere she looked. The cold winter night blew in through the shattered windows causing her to shiver from both the cold and her lingering fear.  
Garnet wrapped herself up in the quilt tightly and she slowly made her way through the ruined room and hallway. The stairs were in even worse condition, now sporting holes that were big enough for her whole foot to fit into. It was a slow climb down, but Garnet eventually made it to the bottom step.

Now on the scratched-up ground floor, Garnet took a step and closed her eyes as she turned the next corner. She dared not look at what had happened to the living room, not yet.  
Garnet focused on how it had looked, trying to preserve the memory of what it had been like before. A warm hearth with couches around it, her dining room table where she and her mother had just been eating dinner not too long ago. Garnet focused on the memory of the fire place, where her great grandfather’s spear which he had used during the Great War had been on display. Surrounded by the numerous picture frames of her and her Ma and Pa.  
The soft fur rug in the centre of the room where she would sit with her Pa as he told stories from his hunting trips during the long winter nights – just like this one.

Garnet held onto this vison in her mind as long as she could before she opened her eyes.  
Everywhere she looked was destruction.  
The dining table was broken and up against the wall as if it was tossed aside like it was nothing. The couch she had relaxed on earlier that day was torn to shreds with foam and fabric everywhere.  
Her eyes trailed over familiar household items, destroyed – never to be fixed or used for their original purpose ever again.  
Then she saw her.  
Garnet’s eyes found what she never wanted to behold and what she will never be able to forget.  
There lying on the remains of the fur rug was the mangled body of her Ma.  
Her mother lay motionless before her, blood splattered over the walls and pooling on the floor.  
Garnet took a trembling step forward and saw that clutched in her Ma’s hand was her great grandfathers broken spear. Her other hand was clutching something close to her chest, enclosed in a tight, white fist.  
Her mother’s peaceful face that Garnet had never seen without a smile now had three identical slashes across it making her almost unrecognisable.  
Garnet took another step forward, something cold slide down her face, as the reality of the situation started to take hold.  
Each step resulted in more tears falling down her cheeks; those that reached the floor fell to the scratched floor like rain. The more stubborn drops on her eyelashes felt like there were freezing in the winter wind that blew through the ruined doorway.  
The steps Garnet took toward her mother became heavier by the second, but still she moved forward. Her heart beat painfully against her chest as if it was trying to escape, her mouth became parched and her throat still had the silencing knot that she’d carried since she’d descended the stairs.  
Garnet fell to the floor as if she were made of lead next to her mother’s fragile frame. Her knees hit the cold wood floor hard, but she barely noticed. Her watery eyes fixed firmly at her Ma.  
Garnet wanted to look away, but found that she could not.  
She reached out and gripped her mother’s hand, gripping it tight as she tried to will back the warmth it had once held. Garnet held her hand so much that it hurt, but in her grief she hardly felt it.  
A small whimper broke past her lips as the scream that had been trapped in her throat, suddenly untangled itself. It burst out in a heartfelt shriek, which echoed through the cold empty house.

 

“MAAAAAA” she screamed and again, “MAAAAAA”, over and over again until she couldn’t scream any more. Tears streamed down her face, chilling her cheeks and making her eyes sting.  
Garnet’s small body trembled from the encroaching cold and grief as she sobbed over her mother’s body.  
It was only after what seemed like an eternity in her young life, that she finally moved from her frozen vigil.  
Garnet’s eyes finally broke from her mother’s face and focused on her hand. It was clenched tightly against her chest, as if in a final act of defiance against the creature who had stolen her life.  
Garnet saw the remains of a silver chain poking out from the cold fist and knew immediately what it must be. Almost desperately she pried open her mother’s hand to see the small silver locket that had always been close to her mother’s heart.  
Garnet clicked it open with trembling fingers, revealing the tiny photo of her family.  
It had been taken on the day they had moved into this house, her Pa was smiling with a lop-sided grin and her mother beamed warmly back at her.  
The smile she remembered.  
Garnet was in the photo too, as she looked at the image Garnet felt as if it had been taken years ago, instead of last summer. The silver was steaked with blood, but Garnet feverishly wiped it away with her shirt – restoring the piece of jewellery to its normal shine.  
At least something was still same.  
Garnet started to weep as she looked at the photo. The pain, the hurt and the sense of loss still washed over her.  
But there was a strange sense of a relief.  
She still had something. Not matter how small, she still had something.  
Then the fear and the hurt changed. It changed to something hot and numbing, she’d rarely felt this emotion in her young and once happy childhood, but she knew it to be anger.

The anger grew. First at herself for being so powerless to stop the senseless slaughter, and then it redirected itself to the beast.  
The hated beast that had torn her happy world apart, she had a sudden desire to hunt it down and not just it, every last one of its kind and make them feel her hurt as she killed every last one of them so no-one would ever have to feel this kind of pain.  
Then maybe there would be some justice in this world.  
Her eyes were still wet with tears, but her face grew hot with anger as she no longer felt the cold.  
Garnet got to her feet and removed the last remnant of her childhood, her treasured quilt and used it to cover her mother’s body. She leant down one final time and picked up the remains of her great grandfather’s spear before she proceeded upstairs with hard determination. Rummaging around her ruined room, she found what she sought – her big winter boots, a heavy coat and her yellow scarf all of which she had warn earlier that day. She went to leave her room and paused, a flash of sorrow etched on her face in memory and she grabbed her gloves.  
Garnet marched down the stairs and then stood frozen in the landing.  
Garnet titled her head slightly back towards her mother. Although she couldn’t quite see her from where she stood – she could still picture the horror and carnage that had befallen the once cosy room. The vision she had tried to cling on to earlier that night, was now gone, shattered forever liked to glass at her feet.

 

Gritting her teeth Garnet took a heavy step outside of her house, her feet crunched in the snow and the winter wind pierced her body, chilling her to the bone in an instant.  
But it wasn’t the cold that made Garnet freeze in her front yard.  
Directly in her line of sight was the village, just down the road.  
No longer peaceful and welcoming, it burned with a sickening red glow.  
The rage that had been warming her, fuelling her resolve – snuffed out like a small candle in the wind and was replaced with icy cold fear.

‘The village…’ Garnet thought to herself in disbelief, thoughts of revenge and justice lingered on her mind, but sense was slowly returning.  
‘If all those people died to these beasts, what chance do I have’, she started to tremble as the fearful sense started to battle against her lingering rage, ‘I’m only 10 and the others were all way older and stronger than I am, what am I doing, what am I going to do’

Two conflicting paths started screaming at her. Part of her wanted revenge, but another wanted to curl back into her bed and pretend this was all a dream.  
“RUN” one voice said.  
“FIGHT” the other yelled.  
They both kept keeping getting louder and louder until both voices found common ground.  
“SURVIVE” They yelled in unison, snapping Garnet out of frozen trance.  
‘Yes, if I can survive then I can get stronger’ she thought ‘and if I can keep getting stronger and keep surviving one day I will be strong enough to take these beasts down’.  
Seconds after she came to this conclusion however something terrifying crept into the corner of her vision.  
A looming figure trudged through the snow before it disappeared behind her neighbour’s house. Although it was gone from sight, it didn’t take her long to realise it was another beast.

Garnet stood still as she heard the crunch of snow and then the clattering of tile.  
It was on the roof.  
Seconds later there was another clatter as it jumped from her neighbour’s house to her own.  
A chill unconnected to the winter winds filled her.  
The beast had spotted her.  
Knowing her time was short, Garnet looked around frantically for an escape route.  
She couldn’t outrun the beast and going back into her own home was no longer an option, the place in ruins.  
And she may not be as lucky as she was the first time in her original hiding spot.  
Her eyes fell on the building directly across from hers. Fire had caught on the side room, it wouldn’t be long until the whole structure was engulfed in flames – but for now it was study and still standing. It wasn’t the best option, but regardless of where she ran the beast would surely follow. At least this way the fire would either deter or slow the beast down. 

Not to mention it would be warmer in there.  
Her ears pricked and she could hear the clattering of roof tiles from above. It was approaching the edge of the roof above her.  
Taking a deep breath, Garnet darted into the burning building, ignoring the growing stitch in her side. She dared not look back as she heard a vicious snarl and the loud thud and crunch on the fresh snow behind her.  
It was close behind her, she knew it – but Garnet didn’t look back to see just how close it was.  
As she ran into the burning building, Garnet pulled her scarf up over her mouth to try and keep the increasing cloud of smoke from choking her.  
The front door swung behind her, in the growing wind. Garnet looked around desperately and realised the fire was far worse than she originally though.  
Red flames licked at the walls and ate away hungrily at the living room furniture – the smoke got steadily worse and worse and Garnet struggled to see. She caught a glimpse of a doorway to the left of her that wasn’t closed off by fallen debris – hoping it didn’t lead to a dead end she ran through into the kitchen.  
Garnet had just enough time to recognise that it was similar to her own, before she heard the same sound she had heard when this terrible night began – the scrapping and splintering of wood.

On pure instant she dove behind the counter, the fire thankfully had not reached the kitchen yet.  
But it was filling with smoke fast.  
Garnet heard the sound of slashing claws and the guttural snarls of the creature that had followed her.  
‘Okay, so these things, don’t seem to have a problem with fire… dammit.’ She thought to herself. She struggled not to cough, as she knew it would give away her position, Garnet knew she couldn’t stay here. She carefully peaked out from behind the corner of the counter and froze in fear as she saw that the beast was closer then she originally thought.  
Fearful curiosity prevented her from looking away as she saw the murderous beast in full for the first time. Through the thickening smoke the eyes of the beast cut through the haze, the blood red glow even more terrifying as the rest of its form seemed to morph into the blackening smoke.  
It was certainly one of the scariest thing’s Garnet had ever seen, these beast’s eyes, so full of rage and malice was enough to full her entire being with pure terror alone. Garnet hated to admit it to herself, but despite her thirst for revenge there was no way she could possible fight this beast. Not with its terrible eyes and sharp claws.  
At least not yet anyway.  
Despite being visible through the smoke, it appeared the creature hadn’t seen her. Garnet swallowed, carefully watching its movements as it prowled with seemingly little purpose.

Garnet took a moment to try to regain her composure, she let out a heavy breath. The scarf was protecting her from most of the smoke, but it wasn’t perfect and even now her chest started feeling tight  
She stayed still, waiting to see how the beast would act before she made her move, the beast moved slowly into the kitchen and its eyes of glowing crimson moved towards the other side of the counter opposite of Garnet.  
The second Garnet saw those claws disappear from her line of sight Garnet knew she had to move. This thought caused by fear or instinct she did not know but she ran back towards the door she’d entered in. The door was miraculously still intact.  
Memories of claws scratching against doors from her experience at her own house helped Garnet formulate a plan.  
Run back through, close the door – it might know where I’ve gone, but it’ll slow it down. Not for long, but enough to get somewhere better then a burning building.  
Her leg muscles burned with strain as she bolted through the door before slamming it shut. A brief moment of rest as she lent against it.  
And in that moment, she realised her mistake.  
The room she had been in only moments ago was no longer smouldering and smoking, but alight with hungry orange and red flames. Parts of the room had finally surrendered to their fate and had fallen to block the front entrance which Garnet had hoped to be her escape route.  
Over the hissing and crackling of the flames, a guttural noise was heard behind the closed door. Any second now the beast would start scratching its way through the frail wood.  
Garnet jumped away from the door, one eye on the door she frantically looked for another way out. Fear started to engulf her along with the smoke.  
This isn’t how I planned this to go  
A loud scratch was heard, part of the wood splintered in front of her.  
“Shit”  
Garnet was not one to use bad language- typically because she would be grounded for using it by her mother. But Garnet had always believed that there were certain situations that called for it.  
A bloodthirsty beast trying to get through a door was defiantly one of those times.  
Making a hasty decision she ran to the stairs, the only pathway not engulfed entirely in flames. As she reached the first step the door behind her shattered as the beast broke through. 

It took all of Garnet’s willpower not to look back, to keep moving and hope that the smoke would confuse the beast long enough for her to reach the top landing.  
Although she wanted to run, haste was not always the best option, she crept up the smouldering stairs carefully.  
The thick smoke that shielded her from the beasts view filled her lungs as she ascended the stairs. Garnet coughed, struggling to keep quiet.  
Then she heard it.  
Another cough.  
Someone was still in the building.  
Despite knowing it wouldn’t take the beast long to head up the staircase after her, Garnet headed towards the coughing.  
Eventually she reached a room, not too unlike her own in size. The fire was burning hotter here, fuelled by the fresh oxygen coming in from the open window.  
Next to the window, the other human occupant of the burning building. In the smoke and ash, it took a moment for Garnet to recognise him.  
Slate!

Garnet rushed over to him, pushing aside the blushing thoughts of being in Slate’s home, let alone his room.  
“Slate!” She cried, before coughing loudly.  
Weakly, Slate looked up – a cough escaping him as well. He stared at Garnet in disbelief.  
"Come on we have to get out of here" insisted Garnet.  
Snapping out of his smoky daze, Slate nodded and took a step towards her.  
Each step he took, the floor creaked.  
I don’t like the sound of that  
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, the floor cracked and gave way from under her. Garnet barely had time to think and jumped on instinct.  
Slate reacted, reaching out and Garnet followed his lead and stretched out – it was an easy jump, less then a foot and with Garnet’s outreached hand he’d catch her.  
The space between them no greater then either side of the bakery counter.  
Slate reached.  
And missed.  
What?!  
Garnet’s eyes widened, Slate’s own mirroring her confusion as she fell. She fell through the space where the floor had once been, Garnet saw with horror that the beast had reached the second floor and pounced at Slate. The two disappeared into the thickening smoke.  
With only seconds to brace for impact, Garnet gripped the broken spear in her hand, lest she lose it when she hit the ground.  
She hit the ground hard, pain seared through her ankle as it twisted and wrist as her hand sprawled out to break her fall. Garnet gave a short cry of pain after impact.  
A scream that was not her own tore through the night and Garnet looked up. Through the crumbling wall in front of her she could see a hunched black figure descend from above. She held her injured arm to her chest and scrambled to her feet, retreating behind one of the few walls not on fire. Garnet was thankful the wall was close as her foot gave way moments after putting pressure on it as she stood.  
Slowly sliding up the wall, using it for support and keeping her good foot planted firmly on the ground, Garnet tried to stand. She tenderly put pressure on her injured foot and pain shot through it.  
“Shit” she hissed in pain.

Sliding back down Garnet sat quite still and examined her foot. The joint was already swelling.  
Good thing it’s snowing outside, she thought to herself.  
Garnet slide back up and hobbled along the wall, using it as a support for her injured foot. Once in the main room again she saw the flames were far more vicious then before. The flames seemed to fight over what remained of the room, licking away greedily.  
The wall had now ended, due to design of the room and from the fire. Holding her breath, Garnet looked for an opening. There, in the kitchen wall. White, pristine snow outside.  
Focusing on her destination, Garnet put a little pressure on her foot. The pain shot through her like a knife, but Garnet gritted her teeth and kept moving. Slowly but surely she made her way across the room and towards the opening.  
Another shriek came from behind her, but Garnet didn’t look back. Despite the pain, she focused on her current goal and picked up her pace.  
She felt movement behind her and heard the woodwork creak around her. The opening was a good half a metre away and on her injured foot Garnet started to despair.  
She wasn’t going to make it, yet still she moved.  
A loud splintering crack echoed amongst the crackling flames, Garnet saw fragments start tumbling down.  
Then cold air hit her face.  
Garnet blinked stupidly, she turned around to see the house crumble like a sandcastle at high tide. The small shockwave and Garnet’s surprise were enough to send her tumbling forward into the ice-cold snow.  
She gasped at the sudden cold, but relished the numbing effect on her aching wrist.  
Garnet rolled over and looked at the bonfire that had once been Slate’s family home.  
The flames climbed higher into the dark sky and blanketed the stars above in chocking smoke. Garnet stared and her eyes widened as she spotted it. something.  
A solitary black claw poking out from the burning rubble of the house. It was all that could be seen of her beastly hunter. Garnet let out a soft sigh as she somehow made it out in almost one piece. 

With the beast hopefully dead or at least trapped Garnet had time to breath.  
Holding her breath Garnet removed her throbbing wrist from the snow, she winced slightly at the movement and took her boot off to tend to her swelling ankle. The snow dulled the pain and now comfortable, she returned her wrist rested in the snow beside her as well.  
As she sat waiting for nature’s ice pack to do its work she let her mind wander.  
What are these beasts? She felt herself thinking I can't recall Pa ever talking about such beasts when he came back from hunts. Garnet paused as her thoughts turned to her father, Pa… I hope he is ok.  
She looked around at the burning village, would he see the smoke, would he come running back to help, and what of Garnet herself.  
What am I to do now? I can’t stay here Garnet thought as she heard the distant howls and snarls of those beasts. It wouldn’t take them long to find her a small figure wearing a bright yellow scarf. 

BANG!  
Garnet sat bolt up at the sound of the gun going off in the village. Another shot echoed breaking her remaining thoughts.  
Sounds like someone is still alive, at least for the moment she thought, But I need to get out of here – but where to go?  
As she concentrated Garnet recalled to possible locations which she could go.  
Her Pa had once told her there was a big city on the other side of the mountains that could be seen behind their home.  
If you follow the river, it’ll lead you straight to the city  
That was what he’d said to her. It was the route he took when he went hunting as well. All game ended up at the river eventually after all.  
It might take me a bit considering my foot but I might run into Pa going that way, thought Garnet, the second thought that crossed her mind was from a commercial she’d seen earlier that day. The school was located in the same city. If she didn’t run into her father there would be shelter there and maybe they’d help her learn to fight as well. Then the next time she faced these creatures she’d be ready.

And with that Garnet had a destination, but what if she didn't run into her Pa on the way? What if they missed each other?  
Staying in the village was clearly no longer an option. Garnet pondered this for a moment as she put her boot back on.  
The swelling had reduced, but not by much. As she did her laces she had an idea and then tenderly hobbled back over to her house.  
Trying desperately not to look at any of the destruction or even worse the quilt and what lay beneath, she entered the kitchen looking for something to use to leave some clue, a sign to her Pa that she was alive and where she was heading.  
The kitchen showed the least amount of damage, it was almost as if nothing had happened. Her Pa’s dinner was even getting cold like it usually did when he was returning from a hunt.  
Pa’s meal.  
Using the stew – Garnet painted a crude, child-like message for her Pa showing where she intended to go. Wiping her hands on a tea towel she turned to the nearby cutlery drawer and grabbed a sharp knife.  
Garnet studied it for a moment and then hobbled back out to the front door.  
Slowly and carefully she pressed down hard to carve into the wood. As she did her work she occasionally glanced over her shoulder at the sounds of guttural howls and more gun shots.

Sweat on her brow and finally finished, Garnet stood back to look at her work.  
Engraved on the wood in large letters were the words Alive and City.  
She had also carved an arrow pointing to the mountains along with her initials just below.  
Hoping that was enough Garnet hobbled back inside.  
Now to do something about this hand  
The ice has helped, but Garnet suspected it was worse then a simple sprain and her foot wouldn’t last long without support either.  
Carefully she crept back upstairs to her parents’ room. Grateful not to come across any creatures she starting looking around.  
Pa keeps his spare hunting gear somewhere she thought to herself.  
After a few moments Garnet locates the kit under the bed. Pulling out the small trunk and flinching at the extra strain on both her wrist and foot she sat on the floor and started examining the contents. 

Garnet struggled back up and returned to the hallway, she retrieved a few fragments of wood from the remains of her door and grabbed some clean cloth from the linin closest before returning to the hunting kit. Holding the three pieces of wood in place she bound them to her injured ankle. She tenderly tested her ankle. It was holding – for now.  
Garnet looked back at the kit. She grabbed some wire and more cloth and constructed a make-shift split for her wrist and arm using the broken spear.  
Good thing Pa taught me some stuff about survival when he came back from his hunts.. .And now I wont have to hold onto the spear it will be right her, Garnet said to herself.  
Garnet was just about to roll up the gear and put them back under the bed when she noticed a small water-skin.  
I do have a way to go wouldn’t hurt to have something like this, she thought to herself, she retrieved it and tied it to her waist.  
Garnet headed back downstairs and stopped off at the kitchen to fill the water-skin at the sink. Although walking was easier now, Garnet still did so tenderly as she adjusted to her bandage and wooden splint.  
Water-skin full, Garnet turned and glanced back at the edge of the living room.  
“I love you Ma….. Good bye” she mumbled and she stepped outside. The cold air seemed to freeze the tears on her face as the winter wind hit her. But Garnet barely felt the sting. She continued through the back door and started her long trek through the snow towards the mountains and then hopefully the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my wife who helped proof read this before i posted it  
> please leave a comment if you think you can guess the fandom or if you have any criticism

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you had fun reading this chapter and I look forward to your guesses and feedback 
> 
> This story takes place in a fandom universe separate from the main story of said fandom  
> I don’t own the world or the creatures in it, just the ones I have made up to tell this story (the town, the father, the mother, the daughter, the butcher and the bakers boy are all of my creation) everything else in this world is owned by its original creators who will be mentioned in the last chapter


End file.
